Putnam Scanner for March 31, 2020

Monday, March 30, 2020

County Jail

Three people were booked in the Putnam County Jail recently.

Sunday

• At 2 a.m. John T. Hamlin, 28, Poland, was booked in for public intoxication and disorderly conduct.

Saturday

• At 5:02 p.m. Geoffrey W. McClellan, 35, Brazil, was lodged at the jail for invasion of privacy.

Friday

• At 11:57 a.m. Julia A. Jenson, 24, Terre Haute, was housed at the jail for conspiracy to deal in a controlled substance, conspiracy to traffic with an inmate and official misconduct.

City Police

Two recent arrests were reported by Greencastle City Police officers.

• At 2:08 p.m. Friday, Jessica McCombs, 40, Avon, was arrested on five preliminary charges by Officer Darrel Bunten.

Stopped on U.S. 231 near the Putnam County Fairgrounds, McCombs was charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. She registered .111 percent under blood-alcohol testing.

McCombs, who was lodged in the Putnam County Jail, also faces preliminary charges of possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia, illegal possession of a legend drug and resisting law enforcement.

• At 10:28 p.m. Sunday, Destiny Conover, 24, Greencastle, was arrested by Officer Luke Brown at a Castlebury Apartments residence.

Lodged in the Putnam County Jail, Conover was arrested on a Putnam County warrant for failure to appear on an original charge of theft.

Sheriff’s Department

Putnam County sheriff’s deputies investigated a pair of recent property-damage crashes.

• At 6:02 p.m. on Sunday, Hannah M. Gray, 22, Clayton, was northbound on County Road 950 East in a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. Mackenzie A. Wheeler, 19, Amo, was also northbound in a 2014 Ford Focus.

Gray told Deputy Anthony Brown she was checking to see if a cow was out and decided to turn around in the middle of the road before heading back south. She did not see Wheeler’s vehicle behind her.

Wheeler told Brown she saw Gray pull to the left side of the road, so she attempted to pass on the right. However, Gray’s vehicle then struck her left-rear quarter panel.

Brown estimated damage at $1,000-$2,500.

• At 9:59 a.m. on Friday, Matthew T. Fuller, 51, Greencastle, was eastbound on U.S. 40 approaching County Road 550 East in a 2009 Dodge Ram.

The truck left the roadway and hit a telephone box and a Duke utility pole, destroying the box and snapping the pole in half. However, the truck did not stay at the scene.

A witness was northbound on 550 East approaching the scene when the accident happened. He followed the truck to the lumber yard at U.S. 40 and State Road 75, retrieving the license plate number and reporting it.

Deputy Brian Helmer went to the lumber yard but could not find the vehicle.

He then went to Fuller’s address in Greencastle and could see from the road that the truck was heavily damaged.

Fuller told the deputy he had been in an accident, but said he did not know he had to report the crash. Fuller said he did not think there was any damage to the pole.

Helmer told him that if he had looked halfway up the pole, he would have seen it was split. Helmer also said the box was destroyed.

Asked by Helmer what happened, Fuller said that he had just found two dogs and was taking them to the shelter and that while driving, they got under his feet, causing him to lose control.

Helmer estimated damage at $25,000-$50,000.

City Fire

The Greencastle Fire Department responded to four recent dispatches:

• At 7:50 p.m. on Friday, GFD was dispatched to 625 Anderson St. for a reported gas odor. Units arrived at 7:53 and monitored the house, but could not find any evidence of a gas leak. GFD went back into service at 8:05 p.m.

• At 3:11 p.m. on Saturday, GFD was dispatched to the Pulliam for Contemporary Media for a reported gas leak. Units arrived at 3:13 and monitored the air. Vectren was notified, and later found a leak in a gas pipe. GFD went back into service at 3:59 p.m.

• At 8:09 p.m. on Sunday, GFD was dispatched to Opportunity Housing for a fire alarm. Units arrived at 8:12 and determined the alarm was due to cooking. The alarm was then reset. GFD left at 8:19 p.m.

• At 8:16 p.m. on Sunday, GFD received an alarm for a possible appliance fire at 615 E. Seminary St. Firefighters arrived at 8:19 and found a belt had come unloosened in a washing machine, but that no fire was caused. GFD went back into service at 8:29 p.m.

Additionally, GFD performed three medical assists during this time and had one disregard after them.

Information included in the Putnam Scanner is taken from reports provided to the Banner Graphic by the Greencastle Police, the Greencastle Fire and the Putnam County Sheriff’s departments.

Individuals listed in the blotter have been arrested on probable cause and have not been formally charged. Charging information may change after an initial arrest.

Questions about listed charging information should be directed to the arresting agency.